A’s Liam Hendriks on DL as Ryan Dull returns from injury

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin, center, signals to the bullpen as pitcher Liam Hendriks, right, leaves the mound with an injury during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, April 13, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) less

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin, center, signals to the bullpen as pitcher Liam Hendriks, right, leaves the mound with an injury during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Seattle ... more

Photo: Ted S. Warren / Associated Press

Photo: Ted S. Warren / Associated Press

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Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin, center, signals to the bullpen as pitcher Liam Hendriks, right, leaves the mound with an injury during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, April 13, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) less

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin, center, signals to the bullpen as pitcher Liam Hendriks, right, leaves the mound with an injury during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Seattle ... more

Photo: Ted S. Warren / Associated Press

A’s Liam Hendriks on DL as Ryan Dull returns from injury

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SEATTLE — Liam Hendriks’ groin injury is actually adductor tendinitis that he’s struggled with for a week or two, the A’s reliever said Saturday after being placed on the disabled list.

One day earlier, Hendriks had told The Chronicle he didn’t think any injury was causing a 3-4 mph dip in his velocity this season, but after leaving Friday night’s game with a trainer, Hendriks watched some video and determined perhaps the issue had been affecting him.

“It was always kind of there and I felt like I was doing everything right,” he said. “But I went back and looked at the video and my mechanics were completely different, trying to overcompensate.”

Hendriks, who has a 9.00 ERA and was in danger of being designated for assignment when Ryan Dull came off the DL on Saturday, acknowledged that his stuff has not been adequate. “Everything kind of sucked,” he said. “I had no life on anything. Just by the way guys were swinging at it, I didn’t have the same kind of jump on the ball.”

Hendriks said there was no one incident in which he was injured, he just had an ache that progressed until Friday night, it actually hindered him while throwing.

“Last night it came to a head and kind of grabbed more than it had been,” he said. “Obviously, everything’s kind of been lacking a little bit. Now we’ve got 10 days to sort it out, we’ll see how it goes.”

Manager Bob Melvin expects Dull to resume his usual duties. “Pretty similar to how we’ve used him in the past,” Melvin said. “He’s pretty good about coming in with runners on base and getting some righties out. That could happen in the sixth, that could happen in the seventh, in the eighth.

“We’ve had a little trouble with guys coming in with guys on base here lately, even though we feel we have guys who can do it. To add another guy who set a record his first year with inherited runners should help us quite a bit.”

Dull, who missed much of the spring with shoulder soreness, made three rehab appearances with Triple-A Nashville and worked four innings, allowing four hits and one run.

“Everything finally feels like it’s normal again,” Dull said, adding that coach Mark Kotsay had told him after one of his Nashville outings “that the ball was jumping like it used to at home plate. I took that as a good sign.”

Oakland’s bullpen has had a heavy workload since the season opened, with few A’s starters able to get beyond the fifth inning, which may have contributed to some of the current struggles. The relievers have allowed runs in nine consecutive games, and their 12 homers allowed are the most in the majors. Chris Hatcher, the team’s set-up man, allowed two homers Friday — a three-run shot by Mitch Haniger and a two-run homer by Daniel Vogelbach, both with two outs in the seventh.

Asked Saturday what the plans are with the set-up role, Melvin noted that the team had entered the season with Hatcher, but added, “We could shuffle things around, too. I wouldn’t be afraid to use (Emilio) Pagan setting up, I wouldn’t be afraid to use (Yusmeiro) Petit setting up, I wouldn’t be afraid to use Dull, and Hatcher from the right side. We’re trying to figure out now what’s the best complement.”